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Here to launch Electronic Horizon software and sell 15% company stake to Intel

Open location platform company Here has announced the launch of Electronic Horizon software, and has also agreed to sell a 15% stake in the company to computer technology company Intel.

Electronic Horizon helps vehicles know and react to what lies ahead on the road without driver involvement. Electronic Horizon is software embedded within the vehicle that pulls in map data and dynamic road event data from the cloud to create a simplified representation of the road ahead, with a range of a few hundred meters to several kilometers. It then feeds that model of the road to the vehicle’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to optimize the performance of its engine and safety systems, including predictive powertrain control for maximizing fuel efficiency, adaptive cruise control, adaptive lighting, night vision and object recognition. The Electronic Horizon also functions when there is no internet connection by using the vehicle’s cached map data.

The introduction of Electronic Horizon means that Here now offers a full location technology stack for the car that simplifies and shortens time of development for auto makers, and meets their needs, right through to fully autonomous driving. Upon its commercial launch in early 2017, Electronic Horizon is expected to be the first such available software that supports the forthcoming ADASIS version 3 specification. This means it also works with high definition map data and easily connects to Here’s HD live map cloud service, which delivers a range of high definition map and road event data and driver behavior information to assist vehicles with positioning, localization and strategy planning.

“For people to let go of the wheel, it’s vital that they come to trust their cars,” said Ralf Herrtwich, head of automotive at Here. “This new piece of software helps build that trust by telling the car what lies ahead so it can drive better on its own. By combining this new software with our content and services, auto makers can now deploy a complete and future-proof location solution for the car and do so fast.”

Intel has agreed to purchase a 15% ownership stake in Here from the company’s current indirect shareholders: Audi, BMW, and Daimler. In conjunction with Intel’s acquisition of a stake in Here, the two companies have also signed an agreement to collaborate on the research and development of a highly scalable proof-of-concept architecture that supports real-time updates of high definition (HD) maps for highly and fully automated driving. The two companies also plan to jointly explore strategic opportunities that result from enriching edge-computing devices with location data.

“A real-time, self-healing and high definition representation of the physical world is critical for autonomous driving, and achieving this will require significantly more powerful and capable in-vehicle compute platforms,” said Edzard Overbeek, Here’s CEO. “As a premier silicon provider, Intel can help accelerate our ambitions in this area by supporting the creation of a universal, always up-to-date digital location platform that spans the vehicle, the cloud, and everything else connected.”